


Amor de Verano

by aggiepuff



Series: King's Landing University [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Rhoynish is Spanish, Summer Love, first real date, very mild angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:54:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25530901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aggiepuff/pseuds/aggiepuff
Summary: When Rhaenys returns to King's Landing University, she fully intends to throw herself into her responsibilities as an RA of the Freshman dorm and all of her coursework as a senior in the Culinary Arts program. It's going to be a good year and, hopefully, with all these excellent distractions she won't spend too much time daydreaming about a boy with dark red hair and sky blue eyes. That's what she hopes, at least, until the first Friday of the school year...
Relationships: Robb Stark/Rhaenys Targaryen (Daughter of Elia)
Series: King's Landing University [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841992
Comments: 15
Kudos: 19





	Amor de Verano

Her phone dings and she smiles. 

“Loverboy?” Sarella asks, coming up behind her. 

Rhaenys quickly stuffs her phone back in her pocket. “Maybe.”

Sarella snorts, handing her a dock line. “Toss this to the deckhand.” 

Rhaenys obeys, tossing the rope to the man waiting on the pier. After a week and a half of sailing, she and Sarella have a routine. They move around each other, working to get the sailboat docked. Sarella eases the gangplank over the side and Rhaenys follows her down. 

“Got your passport?” Sarella asks. 

Rhaenys pulls it from her bag and holds it up, Dorne’s sun-pierced spear emblazoned on the front in gold. “Right here.”

Sarella flashes a bright smile. “Great. Papá said he’ll send some guys to get your stuff and take it to the dorm. Let’s get through customs.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Because Dorne is a member of the Westerosi Union of Kingdoms, all they need is their passports to get past customs and into King’s Landing. They catch a cab uptown to an airy, Dornish style building, _Rojo_ in curling red paint across the arching door. 

A [ tall man ](https://www.thefashionisto.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Pedro-Pascal-2017-Solar-Cover-Photo-Shoot-004.jpg) with thick black hair and dark eyes stands on the doorstep, dressed in an immaculately pressed mauve suit, smiling at the sight of them. “Sarella, _mi hermosa hija! Y Rhaenys, mi maravillosa sobrina!”_

Sarella bounds up the steps, eagerly returning her father’s hug. Rhaenys follows quickly behind, wrapping her arms around Oberyn and taking in the spicy scent of roasted chilli and hint of cinnamon that is distinctly him. 

Oberyn presses kisses to their heads, squeezing them tight. “It’s good to have you back in King’s Landing,” he says. 

Rhaenys leans back to look into his face. Oberyn Martell looks much the same as he did when she left for Dorne at the beginning of the summer. Same black hair, same sparkling deep brown eyes. He’s a little tanner but it’s only been a couple months so he really hasn’t changed. “How was your summer, _Tio_?”

“Boring without you here.”

“Dany and Eggy were here,” Rhaenys reminds him, allowing him to usher him inside the restaurant.

Sarella snorts. “They were shadowing _Tio_ Doran,” she reminds her. “They were being boring little political nerds.”

Rhaenys rolls her eyes. “Be nice.”

“No.”

Oberyn laughs. “You will have to work on your bedside manner, _mi querida_ , if you want to be a doctor.” He leads them through _Rojo_ ’s comfortable lobby area to the main dining room with brightly colored tiles and delicious scents wafting from the kitchen. They reach a table in a far corner and Oberyn smiles, gesturing to the empty chairs. “Lunchtime!”

Rhaenys takes her seat but, before Oberyn can get too settled, she leans forward, dark purple eyes fixed on his face. “ _Tio_ ,” she says, “I have a favor to ask.”

* * *

Rhaenys half waddles into the dorm lobby where she’ll be living for the next ten months, looking after freshman girls. Her stomach is full of delicious Dornish seafood almost to the point of nausea. 

A tall man, roughly two years older than her, with long hair and built like a brick house steps into her path, a vicious grin twisting the scarred mass of his face. “Targaryen.”

Rhaenys groans. “Ugh. What do you want Clegane?”

“Hey, what’s got your panties in a twist?”

She flops onto one of the ancient, overstuffed couches in the dorm lobby, wondering if it’s too impolite to unbutton her jeans. The freshman won’t be arriving until tomorrow, leaving the dorm empty except for their fellow Resident Advisors, of whom only she and Sandor Clegane have arrived. “I don’t want you thinking about my panties,” she informs him, slipping sideways to sprawl. 

Sandor sits on the adjacent couch, thick legs wide in a classic manspread. Rhaenys would be annoyed, but she knows if someone else needed a seat Sandor would be the first to stand. “Summer?” he asks.

“Good. You?”

“Not terrible.”

“Good. Got a surprise for you.”

Sandor’s single eyebrow rises curiously, fixing her with gray-blue eyes. “Why?”

“Cause it’ll get you out my hair twenty hours a week.” She pulls out her phone and sends him a text. She waits until he pulls out his own phone, glancing down at the screen, before continuing, “That’s your new boss. Call her and she’ll tell you when to show up for work at _Rojo_.”

Sandor seems frozen for one long, silent moment. Slowly, he raises his head, staring at her with wide eyes. “ _Rojo?_ You got me a job at _Rojo?_ " He glances back down at his phone. "In their event and catering department?"

"You want to be a chocolateer, right? _Tio_ Obie recently hired one of the best desert artisans for _Rojo_ 's event and catering team."

Sandor stares at her, unable to speak.

Rhaenys grins, proud and a little smug. When Sandor texted her last week that his internship fell through - the internship he needs to graduate and officially beat her out of valedictorian for their program, no less - well, she figures it’s not fair to beat him simply because he lacks the necessary credits. Besides, she doesn’t want to graduate top of her class from KLU’s Culinary Arts program by herself. Sandor has been there since the beginning. They’ve taken the same classes and been lab partners for four years. Walking across the stage wouldn’t be the same without him.

“Tell me you love me,” she orders.

Sandor grunts but it’s his you’re-right grunt so Rhaenys counts that as a win. She settles further into the couch, debating a nap. It’s a tempting thought. She’s warm and full, but the couch smells like feet so she sighs, sitting up with a groan. 

“Have you gone through the packets yet?” Sandor asks.

Rhaenys nods. “Yeah. Freshies show up tomorrow. They gotta check in at the desk to get their keys and room assignments. What shift did you get?”

“First one,” he answers, "6 to 9. You?”

“12 to 3, plus the night shift Friday.”

“First Friday night shift? That fucking sucks.”

She nods. “Tell me about it. At least I’ve got Brienne Tarth for check-in.”

Sandor rolls his eyes. “Fucking Tarth.”

She rolls her eyes. Sandor hasn’t liked Brienne ever since she joined the intramural Ultimate Frisbee league and her team promptly kicked his ass in a scrimmage last year. Rhaenys thinks Brienne, being a badass mathematics grad student, is great. She’s beyond thrilled that Brienne is the Senior RA for the dorm. “What floor are you on?”

“Third.”

Rhaenys grins. “Me too. That means we have adjoining rooms.”

“Oh goody.”

“Hey, don’t be _un cabrón._ ”

“I don’t know fucking Rhoynish, little girl.”

“I’ve been talking at you in Rhoynish for three years. How can you not have picked up at least a little by now?”

Sandor grumbles but doesn’t answer. They lapse into comfortable silence, Rhaenys too full to move and Sandor not inclined to talk. 

It’s good to be back, Rhaenys thinks, staring up at the black speckled tiles on the ceiling. She loves Dorne, loves her family, but there’s a certain amount of freedom she can only get in King’s Landing. Of the many Martell cousins, Rhaenys, Daenerys, Aegon, and Quentyn are the only ones attending KLU this year and both Quen and Eggy are living off-campus in their frat house. Dany will be living in Rhaenys’ dorm, on her floor, but she’ll be a freshie, busy with her own life. Rhaenys doesn’t expect her to pay too much attention to what Rhaenys is doing.

Her phone buzzes in her back pocket and Rhaenys wriggles, pulling it out and looking at the screen: 1 New Snapchat. She smiles. 

* * *

_If you can’t imagine life without chocolate, you’re lucky you weren’t born before the 16th century. Until then, chocolate only existed as a bitter, foamy drink in the Summer Isles…_

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Rhaenys jumps, puzzle piece flying from her hand. She yanks the earbuds from her ears, scowling furiously. 

BANG! BANG! BANG!

 _“¡Pinche pendejo!”_ She growls, coming out of the RA office, ready to rip someone’s head off. It’s 3 in the morning on the first Friday of the school year and she’s forced to be here, manning the desk instead of hanging out with her friends. To make up for it, she is trying to enjoy a lecture on the development of chocolate and work on a puzzle. Instead, someone is making an unholy racket and disrupting her quiet time. _“¿Quién mierda está haciendo tanto ruido?”_

A boy bangs on the metal framed glass door to the girls’ side of the dorm, leaning slightly to the left until he can’t hold it anymore and he stumbles. He’s wearing dark jeans, boots and a leather jacket, all the hallmarks of a college kid’s barcrawl.

“SAAAAAAANSAAAAAA!!!!!!”

“ _¡Mis dioses!”_ Rhaenys shouts, her voice echoing across the tiled floor. “Would you shut up!”

The boy turns. 

Rhaenys freezes halfway across the dorm lobby. “Robb?”

Robb, the boy she’s been flirting with over the phone for almost a month and a half, the boy she had a mind-blowing fling with over the summer, squints blue eyes at her. “Rhae?”

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Me?” Robb demands, voice thick and slurring. “Wha’ the fuck _you_ doin’ here?”

“I’m the RA!”

“You...RA?” Robb lists dangerously to the side. Rhaenys lunges toward him, grabbing his bicep to keep him on his feet. He peers down at her as if having difficulty seeing her face. His breath is a mix of whiskey, beer and rum, almost overpowering. 

“Gods, Robb, why the hell are you so drunk?”

“First Friday,” Robb cheers, grinning broadly, trying to lift his arms in a victory motion. He stumbles and she grabs his arms again, wrapping it over her shoulder and hauling him towards the RA’s office. 

“You interrupted my cocoa lecture,” she informs him, pulling him through the door to the small office. Her puzzle is on the desk in the corner but the back wall has a long couch with a blanket and she pushes him onto it.

He grins up at her, leaning back and stretching out his legs. “Why’d you not tell me you were here?”

Rhaenys sets her hands on her hips. “Robb, you’re drunk. We’ll have our angst filled reunion when you’re sober.”

Robb’s grin widens and he settles further on the couch, holding his arms out for her, a clear invitation.

She shakes her head. “Drunk, Robb.”

“Join me - drinks...somewhere.” He frowns, looking around. “Where am I?”

“Gods you’re gonna be hungover tomorrow." She reaches to the back of the couch and pulls the faded yellow fleece blanket over him. "Go to sleep," she orders.

Robb seems to struggle for a minute with the blanket, only succeeding in fully cocooning himself, then gives up. His head falls back and a moment layer soft snores fill the small office.

Rhaenys stares at him, trying not to feel like a creep for watching him sleep. 

Robb. Her summer fling. Here, in King's Landing. She's torn. It's good to see him. Maybe they can go on a proper date. Maybe they can have something real. But part of the fun was not knowing. She built fantasies around him, around what dating him and falling in love with him would be like. Reality so rarely turns out like she imagines. Reality is harder, harsher. There are no fairy tales in the real world.

_No. Stop._

The voice sounds like her mother and Rhaenys takes a breath. She's spiraling. There's no use in dreaming up the worst or the best case scenarios. She needs to figure out what to do in the here and now.

 _At least he seemed happy to see me._ That is some comfort and Rhaenys takes another deep breath. For now, Robb needs to sleep off the alcohol and she, well, she doesn't really _need_ to do anything but she did want to finish her puzzle and her evolution of chocolate lecture before her relief arrives in three hours.

With a sigh, Rhaenys sticks her headphones back in her ears and goes back to her puzzle. It's a lovely watercolor of the Summer Isles and she just found the last edge piece.

When Jeyne Westerling enters the RA Office at 6 in the morning, Rhaenys is just fitting the last piece of her 500 piece puzzle into place. The other girl, the second floor RA, stops in the doorway, staring at Robb still snoring on the couch. "Is that...Robb Stark?"

Rhaenys shrugs. "Yeah, so?"

"He's" -Jeyne swallows- "Rhae, he's student body president."

Rhaenys blinks. "Since when? I didn't vote for him. _"_

Jeyne ignores her. "Why is the most popular guy in school sleeping on our couch?"

Rhaenys sighs. "He showed up drunk trying to get into the girls’ dorm to see - I think he was yelling 'Sansa'? It was hard to tell." She frowns, a memory surfacing. "I think his sister's name is Sansa. Must be the Sansa sharing a suite with Dany on my floor."

Jeyne blinks at her. "And how do you know his sister's name if you didn't even know who he was?"

"We met over the summer," Rhaenys explains as vaguely as she can. She doesn't want it getting out all over campus if it's true what Jeyne says about him being so popular. KLU is not a small school, but it's small enough.

With a sigh, she stands and goes over to Robb. He's peaceful, a trickle drool coming out of his mouth and lightly snoring. The sunburn racoon mask of the summer is gone, leaving his skin moon-pale with the faintest smattering of freckles. _He’s beautiful_.

“Need help waking him up?”

Rhaenys shoots a quick look over her shoulder. Jeyne peers down at Robb, something like desire in her eyes. A jealous, possessive heat flashes through her stomach and she shakes her head. “No, I got it.”

Carefully, she reaches out and jabs him in the ribs.

Robb comes awake with a yelp, then a groan, his hand covering his bloodshot eyes. “Owwww.”

Rhaenys smiles, reaching out to haul him to his feet. “Come on, _mi tonto_ , we’re going upstairs and you can go back to sleep.”

“Yeah,” Robb mutters, hanging his head and leaning heavily on her shoulder. Rhaenys is glad she works out regularly. “Ok, upstairs.” He presses his face in her hair, breathes in deep. His body stiffens against her and he pulls back. “Rhae?”

Rhaenys rolls her eyes. “Yeah, me. Now, come on.” She pulls him from the office, going slow when he stumbles. 

“I thought I dreamed you.”

She suppresses a smile, digging in her back pocket to pull out her Student ID to swipe on the cardreader by the door to the stairwell.

“I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“If you throw up on me, I swear - why did you drink so much?”

Robb smiles sheepishly and tries to press a kiss to her cheek; he misses and catches her shoulder. “I missed you?”

“Seriously?” Rhaenys asks dryly even as her stomach flips. 

Robb rubs his eyes, trying to shade them from the sunlight pouring in through the windows at the end of the third floor hallway. “Can I go to sleep now?”

“If you wanna collapse in the hallway, sure.”

He stumbles and groans. “You’d leave me out here?”

“So you can embarrass Sansa and yourself? In a heartbeat.”

“You know San?”

Rhaenys unlocks her door with the key hanging from her neck and pushes him inside. “Yeah, she’s on this floor.”

Robb looks around her dorm room, squinting. It’s a single, slightly smaller than the rest of the suites on the floor but she has her own bathroom so she’s not complaining. The twin sized bed against the far wall is lifted up like a bunk bed but with a short red futon underneath. A short bookshelf full of textbooks is stacked on a chest of drawers to create a bedside table and her standard dorm desk is across from the bed. The whole room is painted a soothing sky blue with a narrow, floor-to-ceiling window covered by half open blinds in the back wall and two closets by the door. 

Rhaenys points to the futon. “Sleep.”

Robb closes his eyes against the sunlight but he doesn't argue, simply collapses onto the futon and is back asleep in seconds. Something dings and Rhaenys frowns. It dings again, coming from Robb’s pocket. She bites her lip. It would be an invasion of privacy to answer his phone, but what if it has a low battery?

Another ding. 

Carefully, decidedly not looking at the phone’s screen, Rhaenys retrieves Robb’s phone from the pocket of his jacket and plugs it into the charger on her desk, face down. She pauses, trying to remember if she needs to do anything else. He’ll have a massive headache when he wakes up. She grabs a cup of water and two ibuprofen and sets them next to his phone. Hopefully that will ease his hangover. 

After double checking that her door to the hall and the door to Sandor’s adjacent room are locked, Rhaenys grabs her pajamas and changes in the bathroom. 

Robb is still sleeping when she comes out so she climbs into her bed, plugs in her own phone, and goes to sleep. 

She can deal with everything else after she sleeps.

* * *

A loud, upbeat pop song blasts in her ears and Rhaenys groans, turning over in her bed. Something soft presses against her side and she wraps her arms around Balerion the black dragon plushie. 

The song starts over, loud and high pitched, and picked to be as annoying as humanly possible. She reaches blindly for her phone, answering without checking caller id. “What do you want?”

A warm voice answers, “You’re the one who dragged me to your room. Shouldn’t that be my question?”

Rhaenys blinks and slowly the popcorn ceiling of her dorm room comes into focus, bringing with it the memories of last night. She hangs up the call without saying goodbye and leans over the side of the bed. Robb sits upright on the futon, smiling at her. He looks better for some sleep though there are still some light purple smudges beneath his eyes. 

Her eyes narrow at him. “Why did you feel it necessary to call me?”

“You wouldn’t wake up,” he answers like it’s the most obvious thing in the world 

Rhaenys sighs, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and dropping down to the floor with practiced ease. When she straightens, Robb eyes her appreciatively. She’s wearing sweatpants and a scoop neck tank top. Not her sexiest sleepwear. 

She fists her hands on her hips. “What were you doing last night?”

Robb’s grin doesn’t falter. “Looking for Sansa. She needs to have fun.”

Rhaenys folds her arms over her chest. “Sansa is rushing a sorority. They had a party at the house last night. How did you not know that?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “I - ah, she’s not exactly talking to me right now.”

“Is it because you’re a dumbass?”

Robb’s eyes narrow. “I don’t remember you being this rude in Dorne.”

Rhaenys closes her eyes, taking a deep breath and forcing the tension from her shoulders. “ _Lo siento._ I’m just - I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect to see you either,” Robb admits with a sheepish smile, “but I’m glad I did.”

She bites her lip, butterflies in her stomach. “Yeah?”

Robb stands, ducking out from beneath her bed, blue eyes dark. He steps toward her until they’re millimeters apart. “Yeah. I missed you. I got drunk last night cause I was sad you weren’t there with me. I don’t usually get that wasted.”

“How is it,” Rhaenys asks, bringing a hand up to curl around the back of his neck, “that you always know what to say to make me blush?”

He leans towards her until their foreheads touch. A finger traces her brown cheek. “I don’t see a blush.”

“ _Soy una persona de color._ We don’t blush easy.”

His lips brush against hers. “I guess I’ll have to work at it.”

* * *

“If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be here,” Rhaenys mutters.

“Don’t even start,” Sandor snaps. “I have to be here to keep my scholarship. You chose to be an RA cause you didn’t want to find a new roommate.”

“Learning to live with you was bad enough,” she grumbles back, “I couldn’t do that again.”

“Ah, Mr. Clegane, Ms. Targaryen, are you two volunteering to plan our Fiesta of Summer mixer?”

Rhaenys raises an eyebrow at the freshman dorm coordinator, Alyce Graceford. She’s an elegant woman with a waterfall of light brown hair and lively brown eyes. She also has a simpering smile and condescending manner that Rhaenys dislikes intensely. 

She folds her arms over her chest and leans back in her chair. “I’m sorry, Alyce, but you want the Dornish girl to plan your _Fiesta of Summer_ mixer?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t see anything wrong with a _fiesta_ theme? At all?”

Alyce blinks at her. 

Rhaenys sighs. “Find a different theme Alyce, or I’ll make sure you have a PR problem with the appropriation of my culture.”

Alyce flushes prettily. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Rhaenys,” she simpers, “I didn’t realize.”

Rhaenys fakes a smile. “Don’t worry about it. Just find a different theme.”

“Of course. Well, back to the drawing board.”

Sandor coughs to cover a laugh and discretely holds out his fist. Rhaenys bumps her knuckles against his. She tries to listen as Alyce continues on about the different social events she has planned for the freshman dorms but it really is incredibly boring and there’ll be a packet she can read later. There’s no reason she has to suffer through a full hour of this nonsense. 

“What’s got you so antsy?” Brienne whispers on her other side, leaning closer. 

Sandor shifts next to her and his plastic chair squeaks dangerously. “Didn’t you hear?” he asks. “Girlie had a boy in her room over the weekend.”

“It wasn’t the whole weekend,” Rhaenys protests with a smile. 

Brienne shakes her head, but the corners of her mouth twitch. “Nice example you’re setting.”

“You’re setting a good enough example for all of us,” Rhaenys retorts.

* * *

Rhaenys tugs nervously at the hem of her [ yellow sundress](https://pin.it/785bxnF). It’s still sweltering outside, the perfect weather for the colorfully embroidered dress and heeled sandals. It’s her nicest casual dress and she loves how it contrasts with her gold-brown skin. Paired with red lipstick and makeup to accentuate her large, deep purple eyes, Rhaenys should feel strong and confident. 

She doesn’t.

Two and a half weeks of lazy, sun soaked, rum fueled makeouts in the heat of a Dornish summer does not for a real relationship make. Anxiety knots in her gut and faint nausea makes her head spin.

Rhaenys doesn't date. It's been at least three years since she's had a crush, forget anyone having a crush on her. Yes, she knows in Dorne she was cool and confidently sexy, but that was _in Dorne_. King's Landing is not Dorne, it's not home. Her safety net is gone and - and - and, gods, she can't do this.

Daenerys, perched on the futon beneath her bed, rolls her eyes. “Quit fidgeting and breath. You look great.” 

Rhaenys sucks in a deep breath of air, then another and another, until her heart rate slows and the nausea is gone. Shs tugs nervously at a lock of black hair perfectly curled and Margaery, wielding a curling iron, immediately swats her hand away. “Stop that,” the younger girl orders, blue eyes flashing dangerously. “I did not just spend an hour curling your stupid thick hair for you to conpletely ruin it.”

She swallows hard. “You’re sure it’s not too much?”

“No way,” Sansa declares. The tall redhead sits next to Dany, the two suitemates getting along much better after they came to an agreement about what constitutes a clean bathroom. Their other suitemates, a tall Black girl from the Island of Naath named Missandei, and Jeyne Poole who is Sansa’s childhood best friend, perch on either side of them. All four freshmen watch avidly as Rhaenys prepares for her date as if this is their new favorite reality show. Only Dany and Margaery were actually invited to help her get ready, but then Sansa found out Rhaenys’ date is with her big brother Robb and Missy and Jeyne didn’t want to be left out. 

“Trust me,” Sansa continues, “you’re going to knock Robb dead.”

Rhaenys bites her lip, the familiar jittery anxiety twisting her gut. “You really think so?”

Beside Sansa, Jeyne nods. “Definitely. He honestly couldn’t shut up about the girl he met in Dorne when he got back from vacation.”

“Even Jon was getting annoyed,” Sansa agrees. “I mean, now that we’ve met you, we totally get it, but it was _so annoying_.”

“Aww, you guys. He was that annoying?”

“Don’t aww at them,” Dany orders, purple eyes sparkling. “You were just as bad and I haven’t met Robb yet so it’s still really, really annoying.”

“I don't talk about him that much,” Rhaenys protests.

Behind her, Margaery pokes her shoulder. “Stop moving.”

“You didn’t talk about him but you _never_ let your phone be more than 5 inches from you.”

Rhaenys rolls her eyes. “How would you know? You were here in King’s Landing all summer.”

“Nym and Ari told me,” Dany says smugly, “and you’ve been the same since you got here. We’ve got a pool going.”

“What kind of pool?” Missandei asks curiously.

“What gives Rhae a panic attack first,” Dany answers. “Originally the options were misplacing her phone or an exam but Arianne added pregnancy scare when we found out Robb is here, too.”

“Can I get in on that?” Sansa asks curiously.

“Me, too,” Margaery says.

Rhaenys glowers at the younger girls. Why did she think going to them would be helpful?

“I think it’s sweet,” Missandei says, sitting a little straighter. 

“Thanks, Missy.”

“There.” Margaery sets the curling iron on the hot pad on Rhaenys’ desk. “All done.” She hands Rhaenys a mirror. Her long black hair is a riot of artful curls. The left side is pulled back from her face and pinned, exposing her ear while the right side falls forward over her forehead, framing her face.

“You, Marg, are a magician.”

Margaery flips her own long hair. “I know. Now,” she hands Rhaenys the bright red lipstick, “fix your lipstick and then I declare you ready.”

Her phone buzzes as she gathers the necessities into a small leather purse. She flashes back to a comedy bit about girls shoving everything into a purse as she checks her messages.

 **_Mi Tonto:_ ** _In the lobby_

 **_Rhaenys:_ ** _Be down in 5_

Sansa, peering over her shoulder as she heads for the door, rolls her eyes. “Gods, you two are made for eachother. You text like grandmas.”

“You know,” Jeyne comments, following her out, “you’ve gotten to be very Arya-like since moving south.”

“Take that back!”

Rhaenys raises an eyebrow. Robb mentioned Arya in Dorne, something about her being a hellrazer and the best kind of nightmare child. It’s funny that Jeyne thinks Sansa is becoming a little like her. She’ll have to ask Robb if he’s noticed a change, too.

Dany squeezes her hand. “You’re gonna do great.”

Rhaenys squeezes back. “ _Gracias, hermanita._ ”

Robb stands in the dorm lobby, hands in the pockets of his dark wash jeans, the sleeves of his pale blue button down rolled up to his elbows. Rhaenys almost whimpers. That look, that look right there with the rolled up sleeves and dark jeans, is her weakness. Paired with his broad, muscled shoulders and trim waist and she might actually die before she makes it down the stairs. 

Behind her, Margaery rolls her eyes and pushes none too gently on her back.

Rhaenys almost stumbles, catching herself enough to make it down the last few steps with dignity, thankful he hasn’t seen her yet. He’s talking to someone she can’t see but when she steps through the door into the lobby she can hear the unmistakable voice of Sandor.

Her friend towers over Robb by at least half a foot but his body language isn’t hostile. In fact, he and Robb seem to be on friendly terms, chatting amiably about the upcoming football season which has Rhaenys rolling her eyes, distracted from her nerves. 

“It’s not real _fútbol_ ,” she informs them, walking up to them. 

Sandor rolls his eyes but Robb turns, a smile on his face - and freezes. 

He stares at her, taking in her curled hair, red lips, yellow dress, and heeled sandals, blue eyes wide. The silence stretches and Rhaenys shifts nervously beneath his gaze. 

“Well, looks like you two are going somewhere,” Sandor says gruffly after a beat. “See you later, Targaryen.”

Sandor’s rough voice and ambling departure seems to shake Robb from his almost catatonic state. He blinks and licks his lips, swallowing hard before he says, “You look amazing.”

The knot of social anxiety that always twists her around and is always focused on her clothes loosens. A smile blooms across her face. “Yeah?”

He nods, a single curl of auburn hair flopping onto his forehead. “Really, really amazing.”

Emboldened by his words and heated gaze, Rhaenys loops her arm through his, pressing into his side. “Thank you. So, where are we going?”

Robb grins and her stomach flips excitedly. “Well, you mentioned how much you love the theater," he says, "so I got us tickets to _Phantom of the Opera_."

She told him she loves the theater? Rhaenys tries to remember when that might have come up. _I must have told him about the outdoor theater_ , she decides. She and her family always go to her hometown's outdoor theater product of _Forbidden Sky_ every year. It's Rhaenys' favorite family tradition and she loves the story of how the sun loved the moon so much he dies everyday to let her breathe, though the Burning Ember Players have butchered the climax more than once.

Then, Robb pulls out the tickets. Her jaw drops. She expected tickets to the school's production of _Phantom._ Instead, he holds Orchestra center tickets for Theaterway in the city, the center of musical theater in the WUK. 

Rhaenys tries to grab the tickets but Robb jerks them back just out of reach. "Hey now, no grabbing."

An involuntary whimper escapes Rhaenys' throat and she tries to lean around him, hand outstretched, reaching for the tickets above her head. "Pleeeeeeeeeaase?"

"I kinda like when you beg," he says, voice dipping low, free hand coming up to wrap around her waist.

Rhaenys blinks, suddenly aware that her entire body is almost leaning fully against him while they’re standing in the middle of the sidewalk where anyone can see. Heat floods her face.

Robb grins. “Your face is red.”

Quickly she shoves away, furiously looking anywhere else but him.

He laughs, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist and pulling her back. He kisses her temple and Rhaenys can’t help but grin.

“Come on,” he says, guiding her toward a [ shiny blue pickup truck](https://chryslercapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/012519-CC-Ram-1500-Chrysler-Pacifica-win-Car-and-Driver-10Best-Truck-and-SUV-awards-IMAGE-1.jpg). He opens the door for her and, yeah, she doesn’t date a lot but that’s probably one of the nicest things a guy has ever done. The sudden urge to kiss him has her twining their fingers together across the truck’s console as he pulls into traffic.

The musical matinee is even more amazing than Rhaenys anticipated, the theater decked out in a turn of the century aesthetic with brass fixtures and red velvet seats. It’s a perfect afternoon and Robb holds her hand the whole time. 

They step out of the theater to a setting sun, a cool wind sweeping over the city. She turns toward the garage where he parked but, instead, Robb tugs her down the street. She follows. “Where are we going?”

“For a walk,” Robb answers unhelpfully.

Rhaenys gives him a side eyed glare. He pretends not to see. “Tell me about yourself,” he says instead.

“I thought we already covered the basics,” she points out. “One full sibling, two pseudo-siblings, way too many cousins, single parent household, grew up in Dorne.”

“Tell me more. What are you studying?”

“Culinary Arts. You”

“Business Management. What year are you?”

“Senior. I heard you’re student body president?"

Robb’s chest puffs slightly, standing a little straighter. “For the junior class. What are you involved in?”

“Nothing, really.” Rhaenys tilts her head, considering. “I mean, the culinary school offers one-off classes and I teach some of those, and I do baking videos. What about you? What’s it like being student body president?”

“Very annoying. I was president of the sophomore class last year, too, but somehow the other members of student council got even more demanding over the summer.”

“What’re they demanding?”

“Right now it’s all about fundraisers for events we’re supposed to do next year as seniors. It’s all very managerial and boring.”

“Why’d you want to be student body president?”

“I like it,” he confesses with a sheepish smile. “It’s interesting seeing how it all fits together behind the scenes. Why did you choose culinary arts?”

Rhaenys shrugs. “It’s what my family does and I love it. My mama owns _El Jardín del Agua_ and my _tio_ owns _Rojo_ , The Sun and Spear Pub, and The Viper Room here in King’s Landing. Plus, my cousin Obara owns _El Sol,_ where we met.” 

“I met Obara,” Robb says with a smile, then he frowns. “She’s mean.”

Rhaenys barks a laugh. “You are not wrong, but I love ‘Bara. She’s the oldest of us and always there when we need her. I could call her right now and say I need her here in King’s Landing and she’d catch the first flight out.”

Robb leads her to a bench. They’ve found a park with tall trees and deep green grass. He motions for her to sit then wraps his arm around her shoulders, leaning back onto the bench and letting his whole side press against hers. “Would your other cousins do that, too?” he asks.

“I mean, they’d want a reason and they’d complain the entire time. Nymeria might come just because she likes adventure. Sarella definitely wouldn’t unless it’s life or death, but she’s in med school at Old Towne. Arianne just got a job with the city council so she’s out unless I need help hiding a body. Ellie, Obella, Dorea & Loreza are too young. I could definitely call Dany though. She’s suitemates with your sister Sansa, actually.”

“Really?”

Rhaenys nods. “Yeah. I really like Sansa. She’s sweet. But, her roommate Jeyne - they’ve known each other a long time, yes? - she said that Sansa has become very Arya-like.”

Robb laughs. “Oh, she must have been happy to hear that.”

“She didn’t seem thrilled. What about you? I want to know more about you.”

Robb shrugs. "Not much to tell. Oldest son, only Yara is older than me. I have a dog named Grey Wind. Theon and Jon are my best friends. In my free time I like to play video games and take long walks on the beach with beautiful women."

Rhaenys laughs. "Is that what's on your dating profile?"

"I deleted any and all dating profiles the day we met."

Heat crawls up Rhaenys' face. A single finger begins drawing lazy circles on the exposed skin of her upper bicep. A shiver races down her spine and she leans into his side, head dropping onto his shoulder. 

“I’m really glad you’re here,” Robb says quietly.

“I’m really glad I’m here, too,” Rhaenys agrees with a smile. “Thank you so much for taking me to _Phantom._ ”

Robb presses a gentle kiss to her hair. “I knew you’d like it. Are you hungry? I was thinking after the show we could grab a bite to eat and talk some more.”

Rhaenys sits up, turning to look at him with a smile. “Not tired of me yet?”

He leans toward her. “Never.”

The kiss is warm and soft and so, so sweet. Her eyes flutter closed. He lingers without demanding more and Rhaenys brings a hand up to cup one of his cheeks. When he finally, slowly pulls away Rhaenys opens her eyes in a dreamy haze. 

His eyes are dark and warm. Her heart flutters. A week and a half in a beach paradise does not make a real relationship, but this?

_Creo que estoy enamorada._

**Author's Note:**

> P.S. I changed Robb's name to "Mi Tonto" in Rhae's phone because Becky_Blue_Eyes so rightly said it was something Rhae would do 😝
> 
> Translations  
> Rojo - Red  
> Mi hermosa hija - my beautiful daughter  
> Y mi maravillosa sobrina - And my wonderful niece!  
> Tio - Uncle  
> Mi querida - my dear  
> Pinche pendejo - Fucking idiot  
> ¿Quién mierda está haciendo tanto ruido? - Who the fuck is making so much noise?  
> Mis dioses - my gods  
> Mi tonto - my idiot (masculine)  
> Por el amor de Dios - for fuck’s sake/for the love of God  
> Soy una persona de color - I am a person of color  
> Gracias, hermanita - Thanks, little sister  
> Fútbol - soccer  
> El Jardín del Agua - The Water Garden  
> El Sol - The Sun  
> Creo que estoy enamorada - I think I’m in love
> 
> Note: if you caught the reference, then you can understand why Rhaenys' favorite play couldn't be Love Amongst the Dragons. That wouldn't really be a family-friendly show in Westeros


End file.
